Friday, September 21, 2012

Mexican General tries to bribe Defense Secretary

Proceso.

9-21-2012

Translated for Borderland Beat by un vato

MEXICO, D.F. (proceso.com.mx)-- Brigadier General Juan Manuel Barragan Espinosa asked the Sinaloa Cartel leaders for two gold watches and ten million dollars in exchange for arranging a private meeting with the highest levels of the Public Security cabinet.

The newspaper Reforma on this Friday revealed that Barragan, son in law of Division General Felix Galvan Lopez, Secretary of National Defense during the Jose Lopez Portillo administration, offered to serve as intermediary between the cartel and the current Secretary of National Defense, General Guillermo Galvan, Attorney General Marisela Morales and General Genaro Robles, deputy director of Operations of the Estado Mayor de la Defensa (equivalent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the U.S. military).

According to investigations by the military and the PGR (Office of Attorney General) to which the newspaper had access, the Army received an anonymous tip on November 3, 2011, which warned that Barragan was meeting with criminals in his offices in Lomas de Sotelo, and was living a life of luxury.

"According to the military and the PGR investigations, in December, "Chapo" Guzman sent his representatives Humberto and Oscar Murguia Guerrero directly to Barragan's office to request his help in arranging a meeting with Secretary Guillermo Galvan.

"The capo's people asked that the meeting with the Secretary take place away from his office because there were surely microphones in place there.

"The message that the Murguia brothers delivered from Guzman was very specific: they wanted to negotiate an agreement with the Army that involved ending military operations against the Sinaloa Cartel in the northwest part of the country, and in particular, to cease the pursuit of the organization's leader, according to investigation (file) No.PGR/SIEDO/UEITA/004/2012," states the newspaper.

The offer to Galvan was protection for the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for $140 million dollars.

UPDATE: General responds to accusations

Proceso. 9-23-2012

MEXICO, D.F. (proceso.com.mx) After it was revealed that Brigadier General Juan Manuel Barragan Espinosa asked Sinaloa Cartel leaders for two gold watches and $10 million dollars in exchange for arranging private meetings with the highest levels of the Public Security cabinet, the military officer declared that that never happened and, furthermore, he complained to the authorities in January.

The newspaper Reforma of Friday revealed that Barragan, son in law of Division Geneal Felix Galvan Lopez, Secretary of National Defense in the Jose Lopez Portillo administration, offered his services as intermediary between the Cartel and the current National Defense Secretary, Gen. Gillermo Galvan, Attorney General Marisela Morales and Gen. Genaro Robles, deputy director of operations of the Estado Mayor de la Defensa (Army high command).

According to military and PGR investigations to which the journal had access, the Army received an anonymous tip on November 3, 2011, which warned that Barragan was meeting with criminals in his office and was living a life of luxury.

Barragan, imprisoned in the Altiplano federal penitentiary in the State of Mexico, admits that he received Joaquin El Chapo Guzman's emissaries in his Lomas de Sotelo office, but that he never accepted money and even turned them in to the Military Prosecution.

When he was arrested last January 30, Barragan testified before the SIEDO (Attorney General's organized crime investigation unit) that the Sinaloa Cartel agents used deception to get into his office and that one of them used a false name.

He stated that in mid-January he filed a complaint against the drug traffickers with Justice Major Teresa Hernandez, so the Army was aware of the situation.

However, he filed the complaint only after the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) had been investigating him for more than a month.

According to Reforma, Barragan admitted that he dealt with lawyer Jaime Lemus Garcia in his office at the Army's General Personnel Directorate, but not about litigation involving drug traffickers, as (Lemus Garcia) has testified, but to discuss the purchase of debt bonds.

[Note: three paragraphs are omitted here because they repeat the factual narrative in the original article.-- un vato]

In the interrogation of Brig. Gen. Juan Manuel Baragan that took place in the SIEDO offices, he confirmed that he knew Humberto Guerrero Murguia, but not Aaron Lopez Rubio, both men supposedly sent by El Chapo. However, he denied taking any gift or money from Guerrero Murgia.

43 comments:

2 Gold Watches and $10 mill? Hmmmm...140 mill? Hmmmmm No wonder these dudes are in trouble... They should take that all into account, I mean who in the hell wouldnt be seriously tempted with that much money at play? I hate to say it but I think I would take it... But then I would just kill them all...lol...

corrrupted country mind as well have cartels run the country and the government officials work as gofers go for this go for that what a fucking gulllll where are the checks and balances in the govt who is minding the house open door policy where are the senators congressmen ahh so sorry they are also on the take hmmm MEXICAN MASSES TAKE UP ARMS STICKS ANY MEAN TO PROTECT THE GOOD KIND PEOPLE when i read this article for moment i thought i was reviewing a screenplay for hollywood

Put the lowlife traiter against the wall facing a firing squad with no blindfold...fire salvos of thousands of rounds of blanks at him then rock and roll the live ammo up the skunks ass and take him and any one involved down in a blaze of Mexican Marina glory...unrepentive pieces of whale shiat do not deserve to live...contaminating the hearts and souls of those they have be sworn to protect...filthy rotten savages...execute with extreme prejudice, a pure traiter in all sense of the word!

It doesn't say if the $10,000,000 was paid to General Barragon before they nabbed him. They said the meeting took place away from his office so I assume they did not have what transpired on tape.

Anon 1:22 is correct that if would take people of incredible moral strength to not be tempted by $140,000,000. Did Barrigan have reason to believe that AG Morales and General Genaro Robles, head of the Joint Chiefs, and Secretary of National Defense, General Guillermo Galvan would be amenable to a meeting to discuss a huge bribe.And then you need to look at Barrigan's father-in-law, a former Secretary of Defense. You would think that he would notice that his daughter and son-in-law were living "a life of luxury".

I'd take that friendship anyday and you would too like you could give up money whores and power only a sad mess would comment like that what do you have at least he made a name for himself good or bad he's a legend

I'm conflicted in my view of this. On one hand, at least they are going after these guys, on the other hand, we all know the drug business is going to go on forever so at some point high level Mex officials will have to make some sort of deal otherwise this drug war will go on forever in the most violent of ways.

This shows the power of the cartel...they have more money than many governments and certainly more money to conduct their business than those trying to stop it.

What is a MX 10 million? I have heard of 10 million pesos but no currency as MX...Read the article properly and not like a retard...Its 10 million DOLLARS that he was offered along with two gold watches Mr Moron.

You people quit riding CDS nuts.. chapito isidro and the beltrans are gonna take them out.. isidros crew have guts to take on cds ... Believe what I'm saying when Mochomo gets out , its GAME OVER for Chapo and his snitches... Chapo Guzman is the reason why the drug war got out of hand like it did...

"I'm conflicted in my view of this. On one hand, at least they are going after these guys, on the other hand, we all know the drug business is going to go on forever so at some point high level Mex officials will have to make some sort of deal otherwise this drug war will go on forever in the most violent of ways.

This shows the power of the cartel...they have more money than many governments and certainly more money to conduct their business than those trying to stop it."

They dont have to. If they really have to accept that people are going to buy drugs no matter what, they can eliminate all competition and run the drug buisness themselves and they might be looking to do that, using the military and police.

i hope that one day people realized that as long as they keep buying drugs means more money for the cartels and more money means more power, it doesn't really matter if they send the marines to kill chapo, lazca, mayo, z-40 there are many others in line, JUST HIT THEM IN THE FRICKING POCKETS!, is it to hard to understand?

This will sure stop any other bullshit taking place with high level military officials... Knowing that the jig is up is a great thing for the continued fight to make Mexico that beautiful place the good hearted people want it to be... SALUDOS STRAIGHT SHOOTERS IN MEXICO!